Book Review-Come-Rain-Or-Shine

Come Rain Or Shine

by

Tricia Stringer

Come Rain Or Shine is a sequel to A Chance of Stormy WeatherPaula and Dan are approaching their first wedding anniversary and first child. All is running reasonably well with the newlyweds.  Paula is developing her work-from-home accountancy business, which she loves.  She is also proud of her ability when it comes to fixing a fence, feeding shearers and baking a pasty.   Her life is busy but she is happy.

Rowena, Dan’s domineering auntie, is as abrasive as ever.

Farm works keep Dan weary and distant, which is of concern to Paula.  And there are times when I would have been happy to see Paula leave Dan due to his stupidity.  After promising never to keep secrets in Stormy Weather we find Dan constantly keeping Paula in the dark over issues which will affect the farm and them as a couple.

Paula still has only limited interest in the weather.  However, with rain at harvest time followed by a long dry summer and bushfires all around she is learning why the weather is a hot topic for farmers.

Again I must give to credit narrator Kate Hosking for her wonderful job of narrating Come Rain or Shine.

I rated

Come Rain or Shine

as a

five-star

audiobook

*****

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

Come Rain or Shine

an average of 3.92 stars,

from 443 ratings and 48 reviews.

*****

Come Rain or Shine

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book-Review-Colours-Of-Gold

Colours of Gold

by

Kaye Dobbie

Colours Of Gold flows/reads a lot better than The Lighthouse Keepers which was my previous read by this author.  Again Ms. Dobbie has chosen to write in aMsen and now format.

A very young Alice is saved from drowning in a barrel, in the Murray River by River Boat Captain Potter.

Allice has a gift in that she can see an aura of colours around people, all people and the darker they are the more likely there is darkness in that person’s immediate future.

While Alice works at Echuca’s Red Petticoat Hotel, Rosy befriended her.  Rosy is one of the girls who ‘entertains’ the local gentleman whenever they call on her.

Rosy and Alice decide to leave Echuca one day planning to head for the gold fields, where Alice hopes to make her fortune digging for gold.

Present-day Annie is an art restorer.  She has been asked to restore a painting called Trompe L’oeil which features Alice, Rosy and several other characters from the past.  Why is Annie drawn to this painting of the Victorian goldfields?  But why does she find it so important to track down the names of people from a hundred years prior?

I found this an entertaining story.  I liked the flow of the story and the fact that we had holidayed in Echuca and I had spent ten of my working years with Echuca being my halfway-to-work lunch stop.

I thought

Colours Of Gold

was a

 four-star read.

*****

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

Colours Of Gold

an average of 4.24 stars,

from 170 ratings and 20 reviews.

*****

Colours Of Gold

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

*****

Book-Review-The-Keepers-Of-The-Lighthouse

The Keepers Of The Lighthouse

by

Kaye Dobbie

Kaye Dobbie’s Keepers of The Lighthouse was my second of her books.  This book was written in two parts.  The first part was set on a fictitious Benevolence Island in 1882 while the second part was set on the same island in 2020.  Laura was the Heroine of the 1800s while Nina was the lead character in 2020, with mostly, alternating chapters.

Laura, her father Leo and step-mother Miriam are lighthouse keepers on Benevolence Island, while in 2020 this lighthouse has been closed for some time and the characters are mainly volunteers working for Island Heritage which is intent on preserving the lighthouse, cottages and other buildings.

In 1882, during a Bass Strait storm, a ship is wrecked on Benevolence with only several people having their lives spared.  However, both storylines contain romance, villains and twists and turns.   The only downside to the story was the abruptness with which both storylines ended.  It felt as if I had just read a television movie script.

Stories set close to my childhood home have always intrigued me and although I have never been to any of the Bass Strait Islands, I doubt if I ever want to experience Bass Strait’s infamous weather patterns.  Especially, not as depicted in The Keepers of The Lighthouse.

 

 

I thought

The Keepers Of The Lighthouse

was a

 four-star read.

*****

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

The Keepers Of The Lighthouse

an average of 3.39 stars,

from 153 ratings and 41 reviews.

*****

The Keepers Of The Lighthouse

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

*****

Book Review-Birds-Of-A-Feather

Birds Of A Feather

by

Tricia Stringer

Birds of a Feather is the story of three strong women from the fictitious town of Wallaby Bay, supposedly located on Spencer’s Gulf in South Australia.

The eldest is Eve, a partner in the Wallaby Bay fishing fleet forever and a day.  She is an independent woman who has lived alone since her husband’s death.

It is only since she had surgery on her injured shoulder that she has had guests in the form of a home help nurse and then her God Daughter, Julia, who has a troubled past.

Nurse Lucy has two children and a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) husband who is a mine worker in Western Australia.  I note with surprise that Lucy is described as abrasive.  Personally, I thought god-daughter Julia as the abrasive character of the threesome.   True, Lucy was stubborn particularly about her job, as any good nurse should be; whereas Julia spoke abrasively about any and everything she felt like.

Narrator, Casey Withoos does a wonderful job of narrating Birds Of A Feather.  There were clearly identifiable voices for each character in the story, which in my opinion makes the whole experience more pleasant.

As my home town is a much smaller country town than Wallaby Bay, I find Ms Stringer’s books very relatable.  Birds Of A Feather is the author’s fourteenth book and my second of her works.

I rated

Birds Of A Feather

as a

five-star

audiobook

*****

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

Birds Of A Feather

an average of 3.97 stars,

from 784 ratings and 103 reviews.

*****

Birds Of A Feather

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-The-Fallout

The Fallout

by

Rebecca Thornton

*****

The Fallout lost me with the opening, longwinded, WhatsApp conversation between a self-entitled group of women who all belong to the same health club.

In hindsight, it gave the narrator no time whatsoever to establish character voices, not that I think this would have helped as there were other WhatsApp conversations that were read in an identical manner.

That is the narrator read the speaker’s name each and every time she wrote in WhatsApp as in the example below.

Sarah.  How are you, Lisa?

Lisa.  I’m good.  How are you?

Sarah and Lisa are good friends and Sarah offers to watch Lisa’s young boy Jack.   Only she doesn’t really.   Jack falls from a pole he should not have been climbing and ends up in hospital.   After the accident Sarah tells everyone that Jack was okay when she saw him last.  However, she does not exactly say when ‘the last time’ was. And there begins the story.  Did Sarah lie to her friend…and everyone else?

I’m afraid that was the end for this reader, especially when their menfolk were interviewed and each shoulder shrug and guffaw was read as part of the text.   In fact male characters appeared to be more self-entitled than their female counterparts.

It was most definitely goodbye from me at this stage I could not put up with another 34 tracks of this rubbish.  If a book does not grab my attention in the first page, it must be the second page.    After listening to 25 percent it has had a good chance and not worthy of pursuing.

Although, I must add that the story itself was not as off-putting as the narrators and characters.  Perhaps this is one of those books a read/reviewer should actually read.

I rated

The Fallout

as a

one-star audiobook.

One star is a did not finish rating.

***

At the time of writing my review,

other Goodreads readers

have rated

The Fallout

an average of 3.11 stars

from 920 ratings

and 228 reviews

***

The Fallout

can be purchased online at

                                       Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

****

Book-Review-Shadows-of-Power:Indecent-Ambition

~~~~~~~

Shadows of Power

 a.k.a

Indecent Ambition

by

Jennifer Bacia

February 2023

Time for another Jennifer Bacia book I thought.  Shadows of Power sounded interesting.   However, around halfway through Chapter 1, bells began to ring which was a change from persistent tinnitus.

After a bit of research and I discovered that Shadows of Power was, in fact, the original title of Indecent Ambition, which I had completed around July 2022.  For unknown reasons, several of Bacia’s novels have been republished under another title.

Whether Shadows of Power or Indecent Ambition both are worthy of a five-star rating

I rated

Shadows of Power

as a solid

five-star

audiobook

****

As of February 28, 2023,

the overall ratings for

Shadows of Power

are identical to

Indecent Ambition.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Shadows of Power

an average of 3.15 stars

from 27 ratings

 and 5 reviews

****

Shadows of Power

can be purchased online at

BooktopiaFishpond and Amazon

*******

July 2022

Indecent Ambition is my third of Jennifer Bacia’s novels and tells Lenore’s story.

 After her (sexually) abusive father’s death, fourteen-year-old Lenore was taken in by ‘Nan’ who lived a few doors away.  Lenore soon realises she is pregnant with her father’s child and Nan organises an abortion for Lenore.

Sometime later Lenore gives herself to someone a little older than herself, again falling pregnant.  When she discovers the boy has left Australia and returned to his mother in the U.S.A. and she has another bad experience with a newborn Lenore swears that never again will she allow men to put her in that position.

Twenty years on Lenore, now known as Anthea, while at a preselection meeting for a safe party seat in the Australian Federal Parliament, meets her old flame again.   It takes a while before she accepts a job offer from David and still longer before they get back together.  In the midst of all this is Oscar’s (David’s friend) 20-year-old daughter Kelly who has a huge crush on David.

Will Kelly get her way with David?  Or will David and Anthea hold fast?

There is a reasonably large part of Indecent Ambition I have not mentioned in my review simply because to do so would contain many spoilers.   I am fairly certain that fans of Jennifer Bacia, will rate Indecent Ambition highly and if you haven’t read any of her works as yet,  I highly recommend Indecent Ambition and Never Forget me as starting points.

 

I rated

Indecent Ambition

as a solid

five-star read

**** 

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Indecent Ambition

an average of 3.12 stars

from 26 ratings

 and 4 reviews

****

Indecent Ambition

can be purchased online at

BooktopiaFishpond and Amazon

                                                                                     

                                                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rated

Indecent Ambition

as a solid

five-star read

**** 

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Indecent Ambition

an average of 3.12 stars

from 26 ratings

 and 4 reviews

****

Indecent Ambition

can be purchased online at

BooktopiaFishpond and Amazon

                                                                                                

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                          

Book-Review-Back-To-The-Country

Back To The Country

by

Mandy Magro

 

Back To The Country was the eighth of Mandy Magro’s I have read or listened to over the past year or so.   Set in far North Queensland’s Kuranda, Back to the Country is an enjoyable romance between Indigo Nash and Harley Knight her bodyguard of two years and lifelong friend.   Nash,  is an established Country singer, based in America.

With all her good fortune and talent, however, she finds herself disillusioned with her industry which leads to being lonely and depressed.  Indy begins to think of her home in Queensland and when news of her father’s death reaches her, Harley convinces her to return to Kuranda for the funeral and some rest and recovery time.

Harley has travelled with his childhood friend for several years and as stubborn as she can be, she also is the one he secretly loves.  He only has a few weeks to convince her to stay in Australia.  The question is, will that be enough time to show her what she’s missing by constantly running away?  Is time to let her go?  Or will there be a happy ever after?

Back to the Country is an enjoyable read/audiobook and one which I felt was worthy of a four star rating.

****

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

****

Back to the Country

an average of 4.08 stars

from 255 ratings

and 18 reviews.

****

Back to the Country

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

****

 

Book Review-A-Chance-of-Stormy-Weather

A Chance of Stormy Weather

by

Tricia Stringer

A Chance of Stormy Weather was my first Tricia Stringer book and hopefully not my last.  I loved this yarn as it was something to which I could easily relate.  I married a city girl and experienced a mice plague while wool classing in the Riverina Region of New South Wales for ten seasons; waking up one night to a mouse sharing my pillow.

However, not all goes as expected for Paula on the farm.  The house she and Dan have moved into is old.   One or two rooms have been fixed up; however, this does not deter the mice.

Dan’s auntie, Rowena, a partner on the farm is a kind but domineering personality.

Paula has no interest in the weather yet it still dominates the conversation at all local gatherings.  Why?

I loved A Chance of Stormy Weather and could relate to each and every one of Paula’s problems whether it was mice in the house or not knowing her way around.

I have to credit narrator Kate Hosking for her wonderful job of narrating A Chance of Stormy Weather

I rated

A Chance of Stormy Weather

as a

five-star

audiobook

*****

At the time of writing my review

Goodreads readers have rated

A Chance of Stormy Weather

an average of 4.28 stars,

from 428 ratings and 47 reviews.

*****

A Chance of Stormy Weather

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-Say-You-Still-Love-Me

Say You Still Love Me

by

K. A. Tucker

Say You Still Love Me is romance written in a then and now format.  Then being a school summer camp where characters meet and now is thirteen years later or present day, if you will.

Piper Calloway is a seventeen-year-old daughter whose family is not at all short of money.   She would rather be in Paris with her friends instead of spending the summer as a counsellor at the school camp her mother attended.

Kyle Miller is definitely from the other side of the tracks.  Far from being wealthy most of Kyle’s family are in prison for various reasons.

After a wonderful time at camp they promise each other to stay in touch and that is the last time they see each other, for thirteen years.  By this time Piper is VP of her father’s company when she sees Kyle in a security guard uniform in her building.

As with all romances there are several complications before life becomes uncomplicated for them. Piper learns the reason why she never heard from Kyle after Summer Camp all those years ago.  The biggest question is can she forgive, forget and move forward?  And will Kyle be by her side?

                                                                                             

As with all of Ms Tucker’s books

that I have so far read,

I thoroughly enjoyed

 Say You Still Love Me,

and

I rated

 Say You Still Love Me,

as an enjoyable

four-star read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

 Say You Still Love Me,

At the time of writing my review,

other Goodreads readers have rated

 Say You Still Love Me,

an average of 3.84 stars

from 18,010 ratings

and 2,210 reviews.

***

Say You Still Love Me,

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 ***

 

 

Book Review-The-Player-Next-Door

The Player Next Door

by

K. A. Tucker

 

I first read The Player Next Door in 2020, however, for some unknown reason I did not review it.  In a nutshell, The Player Next Door is about Scarlet returning to her hometown only to discover that her high school heart-throb is now her next-door neighbour.

 

Scarlet Reed returns to Polson Falls, her hometown where, thanks to her mother’s sexual proclivities, she was known as the harlot’s daughter during her youth.   She has secured a teaching position at the local school and purchased a fixer-upper to call home.  Life looks good until she meets her next-door neighbour, Shane Beckett, the high school star quarterback who broke her heart over a decade ago.

Scarlet makes it abundantly clear that she has not forgotten the pain caused by their teenage breakup.

Shane claims to be a better person now than he was then. Neighbours they may be, but Scarlet wants nothing more than to be Shane’s neighbour.  Scarlett vows not to fall for Shane again.  However, as she gets to know this version of Shane, she begins to fear that she’s wrong.  Perhaps Shane has changed:  maybe she should give him a chance.  As she allows herself to think these thoughts, Scarlet comes to the conclusion that she should give Shane a second chance; after all, they were good in high school and the only thing he did wrong was to dump her unexpectedly.   Perhaps Scarlet is the one playing herself out of a chance at true happiness. And ever so slowly Scarlett and Shane’s friendship grows into something more than a platonic relationship.

This is my second read of The Player Next Door and I have enjoyed it as much as the first time.

I rated

The Player Next Door

as a

Three Star



  read.

Other Goodreads readers have rated

The Player Next Door

an average of 3.80 stars

from 12,858 ratings

and 1,372 reviews.

***

 

The Player Next Door

can be purchased online at

FishpondBooktopia, and Amazon